Evaluating Alcohol Access and the Alcohol Environment in Neighborhood Areas (original) (raw)
Related papers
Illegal Alcohol Sales to Obviously Intoxicated Patrons at Licensed Establishments
Alcoholism-clinical and Experimental Research, 2004
Background: Early studies assessing propensity of alcohol sales to underage youth found that, before intervention, likelihood of licensed alcohol establishments selling alcohol to underage youth was 50% or higher across many communities. Community-wide interventions successfully lowered underage alcohol sales rates in several communities. Across studies assessing propensity for alcohol sales to obviously intoxicated patrons, sales rate estimates ranged from 58% to 85% for on-premise establishments (e.g., bars). No previous studies have assessed likelihood of alcohol sales to obviously intoxicated patrons in off-premise establishments (e.g., liquor stores). One goal of this study was to assess propensity for illegal alcohol sales to obviously intoxicated patrons at on-and off-premise establishments. Another goal was to assess whether server and/or establishment characteristics were related to the likelihood of illegal sales. Results may inform future interventions to reduce illegal alcohol sales at licensed alcohol establishments.
Propensity of Alcohol Establishments to Sell to Obviously Intoxicated Patrons
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2006
Background: Although it is illegal to sell alcohol to an individual who appears obviously intoxicated, several recent studies show that the propensity of these types of sales is high. Our study further assesses the propensity of alcohol establishments to sell alcohol to obviously intoxicated patrons. In addition to providing more recent data (2001) on pseudo-intoxicated purchase attempts at Midwestern on-premise establishments, our study examines the association between establishment policies/ practices and the likelihood of sales to intoxicated patrons.
Can Obviously Intoxicated Patrons Still Easily Buy Alcohol at On-Premise Establishments?
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2016
Background-Excessive alcohol consumption at licensed alcohol establishments (i.e., bars and restaurants) has been directly linked to alcohol-related problems such as traffic crashes and violence. Historically, alcohol establishments have had a high likelihood of selling alcohol to obviously intoxicated patrons (also referred to as "overservice") despite laws prohibiting these sales. Given the risks associated with overservice and the need for up-to-date data, it is critical that we monitor the likelihood of sales to obviously intoxicated patrons. Methods-To assess the current likelihood of a licensed alcohol establishment selling alcohol to an obviously intoxicated patron, we conducted pseudo-intoxicated purchase attempts (i.e., actors attempt to purchase alcohol while acting out obvious signs of intoxication) at 340 establishments in one Midwestern metropolitan area. We also measured characteristics of the establishments, the pseudo-intoxicated patrons, the servers, the managers, and the neighborhoods to assess whether these characteristics were associated with likelihood of sales of obviously intoxicated patrons. We assessed these associations with bivariate and multivariate regression models. Results-Pseudo-intoxicated buyers were able to purchase alcohol at 82% of the establishments. In the fully adjusted multivariate regression model, only one of the characteristics we assessed was significantly associated with likelihood of selling to intoxicated patrons-establishments owned by a corporate entity had 3.6 greater odds of selling alcohol to a pseudo-intoxicated buyer compared to independently-owned establishments.
Prevention Science, 2007
Reducing youth access to commercial sources of alcohol is recognized as a necessary component of a comprehensive strategy to reduce underage drinking and alcohol-related problems. However, research on policy-relevant factors that may influence the commercial availability of alcohol to youth is limited. The present study examines characteristics of off-premise alcohol outlets that may affect alcohol sales to youth. Random alcohol purchase surveys (N = 385) were conducted in 45 Oregon communities in 2005. Underage-looking decoys who were 21 years old but did not carry IDs were able to purchase alcohol at 34% of the outlets approached. Purchase rates were highest at convenience (38%) and grocery (36%) stores but were relatively low (14%) at other types of outlets (e.g., liquor and drug stores). Alcohol purchases were less likely at stores that were participating in the Oregon Liquor Control Commission's Responsible Vendor Program (RVP), when salesclerks asked the decoys for their IDs, and at stores with a posted underage alcohol sale warning sign. Alcohol purchases were also inversely related to the number of salesclerks present in a store, but were not related to salesclerks' age and gender. Findings of this study suggest that more frequent compliance checks by law enforcement agents should target convenience and grocery stores, and owners of offpremise outlets should require training of all salesclerks to ensure reliable checks of young-looking patron IDs, and should post underage alcohol sales warning signs in clear view of patrons.
Propensity for Illegal Alcohol Sales to Underage Youth in Chicago
Journal of Community Health, 2008
To assess youth's ability to purchase alcohol in a city previously not assessed-Chicago, Illinois-we hired individuals aged 21 and older who appeared to be aged 18-20 (i.e., pseudo-underage buyers) to make alcohol purchase attempts without age identification in off-premise licensed alcohol establishments. We conducted two purchase attempts at each establishment across 44 community areas, resulting in a total of 652 purchase attempts. Our dependent variable was purchase attempt outcome (purchase, no purchase) and we used four categories of independent variables: characteristics of sellers, establishments, purchase attempts, and community areas. We analyzed our data using a logistic regression model, with purchase attempt outcome regressed on the independent variables. The overall purchase rate was 35.1%, ranging from 0% to 72% across community areas. Buyers were less likely to purchase alcohol in community areas that had populations with higher percentages of Hispanics (OR = 0.99; CI = 0.98, 1.0), and more likely to purchase alcohol in establishments that had more expensive beer (OR = 2.0; CI = 1.50, 2.67) and in areas with higher percentages of unemployed individuals (OR = 1.1; CI = 1.07, 1.14). Although progress has been made since the early 1990s in reducing sales to underage youth, youth still have relatively easy access to alcohol from licensed establishments. We recommend increased use of compliance checks-underage youth attempt to purchase alcohol under the supervision of enforcement agents; if alcohol is sold, the server/seller and/or license holder are penalized-which scientific studies have shown to be the most effective strategy in reducing sales to minors.
Project ARM: Alcohol Risk Management to Prevent Sales to Underage and Intoxicated Patrons
Health Education & Behavior, 2001
Clear policies and expectations are key to increasing responsible service of alcohol in licensed establishments. Few training programs focus exclusively on owners and managers of alcohol establishments to reduce the risk of alcohol service. Project ARM: Alcohol Risk Management is a one-on-one consultation program for owners and managers. Participants received information on risk level, policies to prevent illegal sales, legal issues, and staff communication. This nonrandomized demonstration project was implemented in five diverse bars. Two waves of underage and pseudo-intoxicated purchase attempts were conducted pre-and postintervention in the five intervention bars and nine matched control bars. Underage sales decreased by 11.5%, and sales to pseudo-intoxicated buyers decreased by 46%. Results were in the hypothesized direction but not statistically significant. A one-on-one, outlet-specific training program for owners and managers is a promising way to reduce illegal alcohol sales, particularly to obviously intoxicated individuals.
Substance Use & Misuse, 2013
This study evaluated State of California alcohol license records as a measure of businesses selling alcohol for consumption on premise. In 2008, researchers attempted to visit all 799 licensed restaurants, bars, and pubs in six medium-sized cities near San Francisco. Surveys collected detailed business characteristics for a subsample of 151 bars or restaurants that included a separate bar area. Results suggest inaccuracies of official records regarding license locations and types (bar/pub vs. restaurant). Analyses also indicate that establishment characteristics are related to local alcohol outlet densities. Study implications and limitations are discussed.
Race, Ethnicity, and Exposure to Alcohol Outlets
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2016
Prior studies suggest that Black and Hispanic minority populations are exposed to greater concentrations of alcohol outlets, potentially contributing to health disparities between these populations and the White majority. We tested the alternative hypothesis that urban economic systems cause outlets to concentrate in low-income areas and, controlling for these effects, lower demand among minority populations leads to fewer outlets. Method: Market potential for alcohol sales, a surrogate for demand, was estimated from survey and census data across census block groups for 50 California cities. Hierarchical Bayesian conditional autoregressive Poisson models then estimated relationships between observed geographic distributions of outlets and the market potential for alcohol, income, population size, and racial and ethnic composition. Results: Market potentials were significantly smaller among lower income Black, Hispanic, and Asian populations. Block groups with greater market potential and lower income had greater concentrations of outlets. When we controlled for these effects, the racial and ethnic group composition of block groups was mostly unrelated to outlet concentrations. Conclusions: Health disparities related to exposure to alcohol outlets are primarily driven by distributions of income and population density across neighborhoods.
Journal of Urban Health, 2008
The objective of this study was to examine the associations between alcohol availability types and community characteristics in randomly selected census tracts in Southern California and Southeastern Louisiana. Outlet shelf space and price by beverage type was collected from all off-sale alcohol outlets in 189 census tracts by trained research personnel. Three aspects of alcohol availability at the census tract level were considered-outlets per roadway mile, shelf space, and least price by beverage type. Using multivariate analyses, we examined the associations between census tract socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and alcohol availability types. Fifteen measures of alcohol availability were calculated-total shelf space and shelf space by beverage types (beer, malt liquor, and distilled spirits); outlets per roadway mile, per tract, and per capita; and least price by beverage type (including wine). In multivariate analyses controlling for state, male unemployment rate was inversely associated with total shelf space (p=0.03) and distilled spirit shelf space (p=0.05). Malt liquor shelf space was inversely associated with percent White (p=0.02). Outlets per roadway mile was positively associated with household poverty (pG0.0001), whereas percent African American was inversely associated with outlets per roadway mile (p=0.03). Beveragespecific least prices were not associated with any socioeconomic or demographic community characteristics. Alcohol availability types, but not least price, were associated with some community characteristics. More research exploring how alcohol availability types vary by community and their relationship to alcohol-related harms should be conducted.